Wild Light - Adult Nights

Wild Light have been receiving a lot of attention for their single “California on My Mind”, and with good reason. The track is simple but not too simple; repetitive but not annoying. So okay, Reader, you’ve got this track lodged in your brain and you want to know if this is some buzz band throwaway, like say a Rooney. The answer is yes and no. It’s ballsy to kick off the record with the single and leave the listener to 12 more uncharted-territory tracks, but Adult Nights propels from its strong start and never really loses the momentum hook-wise. Having said that, there’s definitely no improvements made on the “California” style, and so while no individual track sticks out sorely, that’s exactly the problem: no individual track sticks out at all. You’d probably be better off buying the single.

Nothing is groundbreaking about the album; there are plenty of borrowed tricks from peers like Arcade Fire, and none with the same artistic flair – but the songs really are catchy enough to hold their weight. Subtle flourishes like the keyboard leads in “New Hampshire” truly make the song. Then there’s the stop-start rhythms of “The Party (Oh My God)”, which save it from being a mere Interpol replica. It’s an extremely listenable disc, even if it never finds its own style exactly.

But there’s really only one moment on Adult Nights where the group seem to have their own personality, and that’s in the folky “Heart Attack”, easily the most memorable song on the album (save for the single.) There’s equal parts The Bends-era Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and Arcade Fire. You might have a better time listening to The Bends once and then Arcade Fire twice, but Wild Light may have just saved you some time.

It was tough for me to get used to the fact that the vocalist sounds like he used to front Sixpence None The Richer, The Cardigans, and Matchbox 20 (in that order.) But if you take your indie rock with a subtle hint of yodel, then Wild Light should be right up your alley. Besides, once the album has been running for a little bit, you tend to forget about those vocal quirks anyways.

Catchy single aside, Wild Light may have a tough time being remembered. I can foresee either a radically different, genre-swapped sophomore release or else a quiet drift into the background of popular music. But there will surely remain some indie music enthusiasts who make it their responsibility to keep up with the group.

I changed that shit 10 seconds after I hit play. Heard it a million times. Bands like this need to know that 1995 is over, and that cheesy themes like sex, drugs, and curse words only work for goofy ass bands like Blink 182.

I changed that shit 10 seconds after I hit play. Heard it a million times. Bands like this need to know that 1995 is over, and that cheesy themes like sex, drugs, and curse words only work for goofy ass bands like Blink 182.

This guy said it all. It's a bit "been there, done that," but it's also pretty buoyant too. I dig it.